College of DuPage squabbles continue, as two trustees allege arrest threats

Remember all that talk Monday about the divided College of DuPage board of trustees looking to find unity after its chairwoman abruptly resigned?

Um, don't count on it.

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A day after pledging "cohesive leadership," acting Chairwoman Deanne Mazzochi asked the college president to have campus police arrest two rival board members after they tried to take copies of legal bills without permission, according to those trustees.

Mazzochi called the allegation "false" and said she "issued no such order."

But both sides agree there was a skirmish at the state's largest community college when trustees Erin Birt and Dianne McGuire attempted to take the invoices against Mazzochi's wishes.

"We were preparing for the (board) meeting for Thursday, and requested copies so that we can thoroughly review invoices that must be approved by the board," Birt said. "(Mazzochi) attempted to order the interim president to have us arrested if we left with copies of documents, which is completely unreasonable."

Mazzochi said she wanted to ensure the security of the confidential documents and suggested the trustees get copies with unique identifying numbers on them to maintain control.

"My only goal was to ensure that college property and privilege were protected," Mazzochi said. "It is an unusual issue to have a scenario where individuals want to remove college documents against the advice of counsel and the college president and the CFO and myself.

"Security was not called, and they were free to leave the premises," she added. "All I can say going forward is that I hope the security of the documents and their contents are not further disseminated."

Birt and McGuire were members of the board's minority voting bloc until Sunday night, when then-Chairwoman Katharine Hamilton abruptly resigned. Her departure has thrown the board into chaos, leaving it split 3-3 and without any clear consensus as it deals with critical matters such as the search for its next president and possible sanctions from its accrediting agency.

The two trustees had an appointment to review the legal invoices, which have been a source of contention among the board in recent months. The pair had been given permission to review unredacted copies of the bills, but they were told not to take or make copies of them. Previous invoices — which officials say contained confidential information — had been leaked to the media.

The two examined the bills while two financial consultants, including one who makes $685 an hour, looked on.

Birt and McGuire decided there were too many documents to review in one sitting and announced they were taking the copies with them. The college's attorney, interim President Joseph Collins and Mazzochi all got involved in the issue and, at some point, Mazzochi allegedly asked Collins to involve the campus police, according to McGuire and Birt.

The police did not get involved, and the trustees eventually left the campus with copies of the documents.

"Dr. Collins was directed by (Mazzochi) to arrest us, which Dr. Collins declined to do!" McGuire said in a statement to the Tribune. "She then followed that up with the demand to have us escorted from the building by security! This outrageous behavior sadly underscores the hypocrisy of recent statements indicating a desire to work collaboratively and respectfully with one another."

Collins declined to discuss the incident, saying it was a matter between the trustees, but he talked about the need for board members to get along. The board has 60 days to choose Hamilton's successor, and if it can't come to an agreement, the Illinois Community College Board will appoint someone.

"It is important for the board to come together for the good of the college. It is very important that this board realizes there are serious issues for the college on a day-to-day basis — paying our bills, approving academic programs, approving contracts and vendor relations," Collins said.

Records show the school has paid more than $1.7 million in legal fees since May, when the new board's attorneys began submitting invoices. During that time, the school has faced state and federal investigations, lawsuits and an internal review.